Camping
by SparkleGlitterBreathe
Summary: Ginny turned to the High Table, spotting Dumbledore as he rose. He put his hands together slowly and called, "Good morning! The professors and I have decided to take you camping!"
1. Knickers In a Twist

**My greatest apologies for my long absence. I have not had any chance to do any work, and although I have begun a few projects, I just can't seem to bring them through the way I wish to. **

**This is a piece I wrote a while ago, meaning almost a year, if not more, and I'm not sure whether or not I should continue it. **

**If you guys review it, I'll consider continuing it, but bear with me – it might take a bit before I have the time! School has been particularly hard on me lately, and although I know you all don't really care, I feel as though you should know. Hehe.**

**This is a piece I have named **_**Camping.**_** Writing like this always feels awkward for me, because I don't enjoy writing about their school years when we all know perfectly well what really went on, but it was a first try sort of thing.**

**This is chapter one.**

"Oh, honestly, Ron, quiet down! And you, too, Harry – do you see anyone else making that much noise?" Hermione reprimanded the boys as she gestured to the rest of the Great Hall. It was the first day of their seventh year and classes were beginning in the afternoon. A cheerful mood settled upon the students over the weekend, and Harry and Ron were chatting up a storm about something. Ginny, sitting next to Hermione, rolled her eyes and shut her Potions book.

Letting her eyes travel slowly across the hall, she raised her hands and brushed her fingers slowly through her red hair. It was long and straight, falling over her shoulders in thick strands, and the ends curled prettily by her lower back. Ron and Harry began speaking again in hushed tones, and she droned them out, watching the other students.

At the Ravenclaw table, she saw Luna eating quietly. Ginny's eyes traveled further and stopped on the Slytherin table. Malfoy was sitting in the middle, surrounded by Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle. He smirked as Zabini said something, suspiciously pointing to the Ravenclaw table, and Ginny scowled, disgustedly turning away as Goyle began picking his nose.

As she was about to ask Hermione what her first class was, a loud tinkling rang through the air, and she turned to the High Table, spotting Professor Dumbledore as he rose. Slowly, the tables quieted down and everyone turned to watch him. He put his hands together slowly and called, "Good morning! I hope everyone has gotten settled in well and is ready for classes! And now, the major news I am honored to give will be announced! A new project has been organized for you this year, a project that we hope will teach you a bit about life outside of Hogwarts, an adventure you might have never planned to be taking! The professors and I have decided to take you camping!"

Loud whispers erupted within the hall as students turned to their friends, astonished at the news. Ginny's face broke into a surprised smile and glanced at Hermione, who grinned and pursed her lips, watching the Headmaster. He was standing silently, smiling, as everyone quieted down. Then, he continued, "This school year has been shortened by four weeks, during which time our adventure will take place. Every school day, all students will gather in the large classroom across from Professor McGonagall's at seven in the evening. For two hours, you will receive a lesson on living in the Muggle world, geography, and proper ways of traveling and camping. There will be groups of students working together to organize this adventure, seven students in each group. In the groups, there will be one student from each year. There will be no particular pattern about who's working with whom, and there will not be more than two students from the same house. In some cases, there will only be one student from one house. Think of this as an assignment; you will be graded on how well and productively you work. By the end of the year, you will be graded on how well you did, as much as how well you get along with the members of your group. Use your time wisely and enjoy the experience. Classes will begin today. Don't be late!"

With that, the professor sat down and continued eating. Ginny laughed, staring at her housemates and said, "That man is positively amazing!" Ron and Harry shook their heads, watching for others' reactions, and Ginny turned to Hermione, her smile dropping at the expression on the girl's face. She followed Hermione's line of vision and spotted Malfoy and his cronies guffawing at the Slytherin table. Pansy was making a show and the rest were laughing at her. Soon, Malfoy shook his head and looked up, catching Hermione's gaze. He sneered and leaned over to Zabini, murmuring something.

Quickly, both she and Ginny dropped their gazes and said, "Git." Harry and Ron stared at them and Hermione shook her head, "Never mind."

"That sounds like a really good idea to me, don't you think?" Ginny said to Hermione. Her friend shrugged and muttered, "I don't think it's a very good idea. I mean, I'd love to go camping and all, but if I have to deal with two Slytherins every day, I'm not sure I'll be able to enjoy the experience. You saw their reactions - they'll make this as hard as they possibly can, especially since this is like a Muggle thing, and if they're paired with me, a Muggle … let's just not even think about it. I hope I have some Gryffindors I know, maybe Luna, too."

Ginny nodded and looked back at the Slytherins. Malfoy and Zabini had already left, but Parkinson was still there, talking to Crabbe and Goyle. Ginny gathered her books and stood, "Hermione, I'll meet you in your commons – I forgot my jacket."

Hermione stood with her, "Wait, no – I'll go with you. I'm through eating."

Together, the girls exited the hall and headed for the stairs. They walked in silence as they approached the Gryffindor common room and then Ginny asked, "What's your first class?"

They stepped through the portrait and Hermione answered, "Oh, Double Potions with Slytherin. Isn't that nice. At least it's not first thing in the morning and we get some time to prepare for it. I really am glad about the new schedule that Professor Dumbledore's come up with. I mean, we get to sleep late and have half the day to ourselves. But our curfew's early nonetheless, which is a tad disappointing."

"Well, that's true, but if we have classes from twelve to five, and then these new ones from seven to nine, we get most of the morning to ourselves and then that one hour between five and dinner. Oh, hell, you're right, it isn't enough. But I've made myself a promise," Ginny murmured as they climbed the stairs, "to go to sleep early and wake up at about seven. That way, I have two hours to work on homework before breakfast and two hours to work on it after. But these classes – do you think they're really that necessary? I mean, maybe the classes are, but really? Two whole hours? Isn't that a bit much?"

Hermione watched as Ginny dug a light green windbreaker from her trunk and threw it onto the bed. Together, they gazed at themselves in her full-length mirror on the wall beside it and corrected their clothing. The girls looked almost identical in their matching white blouses, ties, black skirts (although Ginny's sat much lower on her hips), their high socks, and their black shoes. Also, their hair was up neatly and their faces were clear of any make-up.

Ginny grabbed her windbreaker and they descended the staircase. "I don't think they're necessary at all. I mean, we have Muggle Studies for that if anyone wished to learn. And who says we'll enjoy camping? It's nice that he's making an effort to create that damned inter-House unity, but I just don't think this will turn out well."

Ginny laughed and pushed the Portrait open. The corridors were generally empty, since most of the students were still at breakfast. Some had escaped to their common rooms, or outside, but none were roaming around the castle, which was favorable to Ginny and Hermione, because it gave them a level of privacy in their conversation.

"I just hope I'm not paired with Malfoy," Ginny called as she walked outside and Hermione went in the direction of her Head commons.

Classes went by quickly that day, much too quickly for Ginny's taste, and before she knew it, she was walking to the Great Hall for dinner. She took a seat by her brother and began piling things onto her plate. Harry, sitting across from her, watched with an open mouth as Ginny stuffed her face with mashed potatoes and fish.

Noticing this, Ginny put her food down slowly and laughed. Harry smiled and said, "I didn't realize you had Ron's eating habits. It's a bit peculiar, if you ask me. I mean, I don't remember Fred, George, or Percy eating like that."

The redhead in front of him wiped her fingers on a napkin as she muffled more laughter, and then retorted, "But I still live with Ron! If you don't eat fast, you don't eat, and I have learned to live with that rule. I suspect it'll stay with me for the rest of my life."

Harry nodded, chuckling, and soon, Hermione joined them. Before she even reached her seat, she declared, "I do not like the new schedule."

The fork that almost reached Ginny's mouth went back to the plate as she looked up, "Why?"

Her friend threw her legs over the bench erratically and looked at her as she grabbed a piece of bread, "Because it's not even nearly enough time! First, instead of the traditional ten hours of classes, we only have seven, and two of them don't even count! That gives us five hours to fit our entire schedule into! See, maybe that matters absolutely nothing to you, because you," she gave a pointed look to Harry and Ron, "only _have_ five classes to get to, but I have eight, and a five-hour span is definitely not enough to learn what I am supposed to. I am going to have a discussion with Professor McGonagall."

Ron looked stricken, "What? No, Hermione, no, you can't do that! They might change the schedule! And then, I'll have to sign up for more classes! Do you want to see me suffer like this?"

Hermione ignored him and bit into an apple. Ginny spoke up, "What will you say to her, though?"

"Just that this schedule isn't working out for me. Ask her to prolong the school hours. Maybe she'll just give me a Time-Turner again. I really don't care, I just need her to do something about this – I am fairly sure that I signed up for eight classes. When I got my schedule this year, it said I would have each class for about thirty-five minutes. And then, I go to my first class and it lasts for an entire class period! I caught McGonagall after class and complained, but she just said that the schedule had been changed and there would be some oddities at first. I mean, what the hell does that even mean??" Hermione smacked her spoon against the table.

Ginny snorted, "I bet she was making an attempt to sound smart, Hermione."

The older girl smiled and muttered, "That doesn't bloody well help me. I just hope that when I talk this over with her, she'll actually listen. I mean, I am severely concerned with my scores!"

Ginny nodded, "I know, Hermione. We _all_ know, no offense."

Ron and Harry helplessly watched this exchange as their happiness slowly slipped away at the hands of Hermione Granger. Finally, as most students began dispersing to the classes for later that evening, the two girls rose and exited the hall, still in deep discussion. Harry and Ron looked at each other, swallowed, and followed.

"Quiet down, students," Professor McGonagall called over the clamor in the classroom, visibly holding a long piece of parchment. Gradually, the noise began to subside, and every student in the school looked up at her, anticipating more information. The witch looked over the crowd of students and began.

"This new assignment is, you may say, an experiment. We are conducting it for one year only, and it is an experience you don't want to miss out on – because your grades have a direct link to it. This class will be called 'Travel' and you will be studying here for the bit of traveling you will do at the end of the year. Every day, excluding the weekends, you will meet for a two-hour session with your groups. Keep in mind, your groups will have much interaction with others', but the thing you need to be worried about most is staying, or becoming, in some cases, friends with your teammates and staying so at least until the end of the year. This class, mind you, is for a grade, and you will be required to pass to graduate. Even those of you in first year – if you do not pass, when seventh year comes around, you will not graduate. Is that clear?"

A stunned silence passed as a few of the first years nodded tensely. Satisfied, the professor continued, "In each group will be one student from each year - and that is it. Seven students total, and you will be working separately for most of the time these classes will be going on. Now, you might be paired with someone you aren't particularly partial to, but that is something you will be required to fix over the course of the semester. Please be kind to your younger teammates, particularly the first years, all right? And now, I will begin listing the groups. As soon as I name your group, please gather as a, well, group beside the doors. If you haven't met yet, please introduce yourselves and stand quietly. When I'm done, we will travel to the library. I'm afraid this classroom is just not large enough."

Ginny closed her eyes tightly and crossed her fingers, hoping for the best group possible – maybe with Hermione as the seventh year, or maybe even her brother. Slowly, McGonagall began calling off groups of names and Ginny saw some people begin lining up by the door.

" … Harry Potter, Stewart Ackerley, Lena Johnston, Aaron Matthews, Euan Abercrombie, David Tassow, and Millie Andrews. Next group: Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Patrick Elwood, Anne Gerrard, Ian Thompson, Larry Emerson, Renee Wilson …"

Ginny shut her eyes even tighter, crossing her fingers to the point of feeling them quiver, almost as if the bone was about to be dislocated. She slowly relaxed her fingers and opened her eyes, spotting an anxious Hermione behind her, watching McGonagall wide-eyed. Ginny turned back around, a smirk gracing her lips, and tuned back in to McGonagall's voice.

"Next group: Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Carl Anderson, Miles West, Justin Kimberley, Lucas Graham, and Daniel Pritchard. Next group …"

_Good grief_, Ginny thought._ I'm the only girl in the group. I'm the only Gryffindor in the group! Holy poo muffins, Malfoy's in my group!_

She opened her eyes, staring ahead, like a deer caught in headlights. Not that she'd know the term. Malfoy, sitting two rows in front of her, looked just as disgusted to be paired with her as she was with him, and made sure everyone around him knew it. She spotted Harry's sympathetic smile in the corner of the room and smiled back, slowly rising from her seat.

The other boys in her team, approaching Malfoy, all looked satisfied with their group members. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine that this wasn't happening. She did _not_ just get grouped with Malfoy for the rest of the year!

When she opened her eyes, she noticed that none of them were standing by his seat anymore. Malfoy had confidently walked on and crossed his arms as he stopped at the end of the line. The boys halted behind him as well, and Ginny stood behind them, suddenly afraid of him.

He didn't even express that he noticed her, he simply smirked out over the Slytherin section of the room as his mates got paired with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and Ginny was glad, she didn't want to face him now. She watched as McGonagall announced the last few groups, "Hermione Granger, Malcolm Baddock, Tracy Whitman, Alexia Yates, Ryan Jasper, Brenda Waswan, and Reese Swan. Next group: Elliott Morton, Leon Karlson, Melinda Bratman, Missy Fortier, Ashton Jason, Xavier Holliwell, Kara Elmore. And the last group: Jesse Delwyn, Cherry Tristan, Willis Vivien, Nelly Jackson, Ben Long, Stephanie Rodnick, and William Christopher. Would everyone please gather by the door."

Ginny watched a crestfallen Hermione make her way toward her group, also containing no Gryffindors. Finally, as McGonagall led them out of the classroom, Ginny saw Malfoy walk slowly in step with her a little ways away from her. He was watching her, she could have sworn it, but when she glanced at him, his eyes were averted toward the ground, and she felt foolish.

They quietly filed into the sanctuary and McGonagall seated each group at separate tables. Ginny's group was sitting in the quietest corner of the library. As McGonagall moved on, Ginny took the seat farthest away from the corner, hoping to make herself closer to Hermione, whose group sat in the center of the library. The boys seated themselves as well, and Ginny was surprised when Malfoy didn't raise his feet onto the table as she had expected him to. He simply crossed his arms, leaned back, and watched her.

The boy Ginny assumed to be Miles West, wearing Slytherin robes, sat beside her and gazed at her, too. The rest of the boys talked in hushed tones for a while before turning and watching her as well. She shifted uncomfortably before murmuring, "Well."

A sneer crossed the face of the pale blond sitting across from her (which was as far away from her as possible, given the round table they were sitting at) before he drawled, "Just about the most intelligent thing I've heard out of you, Weasley."

Boiling anger rose up in Ginny's chest as she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, "If you can do any better, then please, begin a discussion!"

He leered and set his jaw, watching her patiently. Before she could continue, McGonagall's voice rang out through the library.

"Students, please quiet down and listen to the directions. You are to come up with a destination you want to make it to in the four weeks of traveling you'll get at the end of the year, and you're also to come up with the route best to use in getting there. Once you're done, sit quietly, and a professor will approach your group. Begin."

Ginny cleared her throat as students began to talk excitedly. She wasn't feeling any better about having to sit and accept Malfoy's bullying, and she sure as hell wasn't getting anything done.

She shivered – her small form got cold rather fast – and turned back to her table, which was expectantly watching her. Slowly, she gritted out, "Any suggestions?"

Several came at her at once, and she extracted a piece of parchment from her pocket, unrolling it and writing them down.

Carl Anderson, a Hufflepuff, had suggested Rome. Daniel Pritchard came up with Wales, Justin Kimberley had shouted Panama, Miles West calmly announced Kiev, and Lucas Graham wanted to visit Barcelona. Ginny nodded as she wrote these down, and looked at Malfoy expectantly. The blond raised his eyebrows and drawled, "The Maldives."

Ginny was taken aback by his confident suggestion, because the Maldives were a place she'd dreamed of visiting herself, ever since she was a child. She looked up and blinked, "How come?"

Malfoy sneered, "Weasley, it's not your job to ask. Your job is to come up with a good suggestion."

Ginny felt a warmth spread up her cheeks, and even though she couldn't blush, she was sure everyone knew what she was feeling. Without uttering a word, Ginny inscribed _Maldives_ twice. She quickly wrote their names down at the top and turned the parchment around. "How do we want to get to these places?"

Miles raised his hand and muttered, "Why don't we take one of those Muggle planes?"

Malfoy snorted and Miles bowed his head, stopping his suggestion. Ginny pursed her lips and engraved _plane_ by his name. The four boys quickly rattled off their ideas and Ginny looked at Malfoy.

He busily uncrossed his arms and checked his watch, a disdainful look passing over his face, before drawling, "Apparition or Port Key."

Ginny nodded and wrote the idea beside his name; her suggestion had been a Muggle plane. They were through, and Ginny rested her quill on the table, looking around. In a few minutes, Professor McGonagall approached their table and took the parchment, "I'm glad you came prepared, Miss Weasley. Some students had to memorize their group's suggestions and list them to me."

Ginny smiled and looked back down. But McGonagall didn't leave, and Ginny looked up as the woman asked, "Now, Mister Malfoy, you suggested the Maldives. What is your reasoning behind that proposal?"

Ginny's eyes darted to the lean blond in front of her, who was currently glaring at the table, before he replied, "Because I think it would be an interesting place to visit."

The professor nodded, apparently accepting his explanation, and went on, "And Miss Weasley? What made you suggest the Maldives as well?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Malfoy's head tilt a little as he studied her, but ignored him, answering, "I think it's a really exotic place. My family visited there once when I was about four or five, and I loved it. I think it would be nice to visit and see the amazing climate and clean waters there."

McGonagall's eyes widened a bit, but it could have only been the lighting, so Ginny looked down and listened as McGonagall continued asking the other boys about the places they wanted to visit. When she was through, she folded the parchment and left to speak with another group.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably as the entire group began staring at her again, and gazed over Malfoy's shoulder at the bookshelves behind him. The pale boy smirked and uttered, "I can't bloody believe I'll have to see your face every day for two bloody hours. If it had been Baddock … or Hampton – "

For some reason, his words ignited red, hot anger inside of Ginny and she broke in, "Well, then, you asshole, why don't you just go ahead and ask McGonagall to change your groups? I don't know about the others, but I certainly didn't want to be paired with you and am _not_ happy with this arrangement, ferret."

She saw some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws snicker as she said the words. With a confident smirk, she crossed her arms and glared at him. He, on the other hand, had obtained a strange look in his eyes as he smirked back and didn't respond. Ginny scrutinized him for a moment before turning to the younger boys and asking, "So, what houses are you guys from?"

A small, dark boy beside her spoke up, "I'm Justin. I'm from Ravenclaw. Third year."

Ginny nodded and another, chestnut-haired boy beside Malfoy jumped in, "I'm Carl, I'm from Ravenclaw, too."

The next boy that spoke was, Ginny gathered, Lucas, "I'm from Hufflepuff. Second year."

A lanky boy beside Carl said, "I'm Daniel, I'm a Hufflepuff. First year."

Ginny nodded, and Miles drawled, "I'm Miles, Miles West. Slytherin. Fourth year."

The redhead smiled, nodded, and went on, "I'm Ginny Weasley. Sixth year Gryffindor."

And everyone turned, awaiting Malfoy's introduction of himself, but it never came. Rolling her eyes, Ginny muttered, "That self-righteous prick is Malfoy. He's a seventh year Slytherin."

The boys, even Miles, exchanged sneers and Malfoy's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, glaring at Ginny, and muttered, "And the one with her hand-me-down knickers in a knot is Weasley. Actually, all Weasleys have their age-old knickers in knots, so I'm not surprised."

Ginny's narrowed eyes rivaled his until she closed them and leaned back, grumbling, "I don't have enough time for this."

"Right. Is that why you're just sitting there?" Malfoy's unpleasant voice drawled again, sounding distant, and she opened her eyes, surveying him. He had leaned back as well, studying a bit of lint on his royal robes. Her eyes traveled over his face, taking in the white-blond hair that, for once, was not drowned in hair gel, and his irritated smirk, gradually leaving his features. What was left was a clean, straight, perfectly aristocratic face, topped with angelic hair. It was a stretch, but Ginny could have considered him good-looking, if she had narrowed her eyes and tilted her head just so.

However, many girls did have a fancy for him. Perhaps his perfectly clean, mature image was what drew them to him. It would be later in their twenties that girls would start loving the others for their different appearances, but for the moment, they had eyes only for Malfoy and his good looks. The worst part of all was that he knew it, and he reveled in it. Ginny could admit it to herself, true, Malfoy was a pretty sight to look at, but she wouldn't consider taking it anywhere past that.

As if noticing his gaze on her, his eyes looked up, but by then, Ginny had already looked away. She was good at that sort of thing. She often studied her friends, it was simply the way she was, and she had learned how to smooth things over when she got caught. Sighing dramatically, Ginny crossed her arms. Quickly, her eyes turned blank and her expression gave nothing away.

Carefully, Ginny said, "We still have an hour and a half in here, Malfoy. Don't you suppose it would be easier if we just tried to not talk to each other?"

Malfoy shrugged one shoulder and drawled, "Whatever you say."

Ginny rolled her eyes and murmured, "Where is McGonagall?"

Carl shook his brown hair out of his eyes and said, "Last I saw, she was with the group behind that bookshelf." Ginny followed his pointing finger and smiled, spotting the professor's gray hair from under her blue hat. Then, her eyes traveled to Malfoy, whose disgusted gaze lingered on Carl before falling on his robes once more. Before she could make a biting remark, Justin said, "It's going to be a while. The other teachers aren't helping her."

Miles smirked, "I dunno why they should, Kimberley. She's managing well enough on her own."

_All right, it's only been, what, half an hour, and I already am not fond of two of my group members. Something must be done,_ Ginny wailed inside her head, and, giving the two Slytherins a dirty look, she crossed her arms on the table and lay her head down, groaning angrily.

That evening had passed by slowly, and although she could only bear to speak to five members of her group, Ginny found that they weren't half bad. Although Miles had seemed like an arrogant git at first, the more Ginny talked to him, the more she liked him. He was a quiet boy, but he was sweet, and from what Ginny gathered, he was supportive of Muggles. Carl was very charming, and although Ginny wasn't attracted to him, she found that he seemed to be fond of her. Justin had a very loud persona, but Ginny enjoyed talking to him because he was able to completely engulf her in his wild stories, which was a good trait to have when accompanied by a very annoying Slytherin. Lucas was much quieter than anyone else in the group – he rarely talked, unless he was addressed directly by someone, and Ginny took a liking to him. He had a very intriguing personality, and she found more than once that the entire group turned and watched him, waiting for him to speak. Daniel was very smart, very friendly, and absolutely adorable. Ginny liked him from the start as her own brother. He was very tiny, but he made up for it in smarts and voice. He was the main talker of the group that evening.

At nine, McGonagall dismissed them, and Ginny walked back to the common room with her dorm mates, Keely, Courtney, Audrey, and Vianne. Keely was beautiful, with her dark blue eyes and smooth, copper-brown hair, and she and Vianne were best friends. Ginny never liked them before in her years at the castle, but they were extremely nice. Vianne was crazy, lively, and talkative. Ginny took a liking to her just as she did to Justin. She was small, athletic, and had long, blonde hair. Audrey was more of a loner than anyone else in the group, but she was intelligent and quiet as she listened to Vianne's chatter. Courtney was the most unpleasant of the group. She was arrogant, proud, and snobby. Although she was popular among the other sixth years, her dorm mates didn't enjoy her company much, because she followed them around looking as if she wished to be anywhere but where she was – with them.

They climbed the stairs and got ready for bed, still excited with emotions from spending two hours with people they didn't know. Ginny brushed her long hair out and braided it, changing into a large shirt of Charlie's. After she brushed her teeth, Ginny climbed into her four-poster and began talking to Vianne, who slept to her left, and Courtney, whose bed was across from her.

"Who were your group members, Courtney?"

The brunette glanced at Ginny, lifted her chin a bit higher and said, "I don't know. I didn't ask for their names."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned to Vianne, "And you?"

"Well, there's this guy named Japheth Marxwell, who's a seventh year, and then the fifth year is a girl named Liana Hunt. The fourth year is Joshua Nerter, the third year is Caycee Johnston, then Allison Hardwall, who's a Gryffindor, and then Mario Ford. They're not nice. I wish I were in your group, Ginny. Justin and Carl are so polite!"

Ginny nodded, tearing her eyes away from the girl's scarlet lips – which Vianne seemed to think was pretty – and smiled, "Yeah, actually, I like them, too. They're really sweet, and the Hufflepuffs, as well. The only member of my group I cannot stand –"

"Draco Malfoy's in your group, isn't he?"

Ginny turned, looking at Courtney's excited face, and said, "Yes."

The pretty girl across from her sighed dreamily and murmured, "I wish he was in my group."

Ginny snorted, "No, Courtney, you don't. The boy is a total ass and I can't stand him. No matter how much I wish he wasn't in my group, I'm glad he isn't in yours."

"You shouldn't concern yourself with whether or not I can handle the _man_, Ginny. He is a very good guy and I say that because I know him. Don't fool yourself, because you don't know Draco at all."

Ginny's eyes widened and she lifted her hands in defeat, pulling the covers higher up to her chin, looking around at her roommates quietly.

"Merlin, Courtney, what's got your knickers in such a twist? All Ginny did was say –"

"She insulted someone she doesn't know for reasons that don't exist. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if I told you how much I can't bloody stand Dean Thomas."

Ginny lifted up a warning finger, leaning forward on the mattress, and said, "Alright. That's bloody fantastic, Courtney – you can get mad at me for Malfoy if you want, but no one – _no one_ – will talk bad about Dean. He is a great guy and as much of a man as Malfoy is, if not more. Attack him in anyone's presence but mine, got it?"

The green-eyed girl in front of her sighed and shrugged a shoulder, "Whatever."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny snapped all of her curtains shut, except the ones facing the wall, and lay down, covering herself securely with her warm blanket. With any luck, the year would pass by quickly, and she wouldn't have to talk to Courtney under any circumstances.

When she woke up the following day, a horrible headache struck her, and it was so painful, she could hardly walk straight. She climbed out of bed slowly, careful not to bump into things through her blind movement across the cold floor, and knocked on the bathroom door lightly, murmuring, "Anyone in there?"

Her voice was caked with an air of having just awoken and she wasn't surprised when no one answered, it was most likely not even seven. She pushed the door open numbly and stepped in, rubbing her warm hands over her face. She dug inside the cabinet behind her for any headache-relieving potions, and when she came upon the remains of an extremely strong one, she pulled it out, tipping the vial dangerously above the burgundy carpet.

Ginny pulled the stopper and downed the light yellow liquid, wincing at the starchy taste in her mouth. Within moments, she felt the pain dissipate and her eyes opened wider, muscles relaxing in her face. The small girl gently tossed the vial into a basket by the door and began getting ready for classes.

A small hum escaped her lips when she opened the towel drawer and spotted a small piece of parchment, folded over many times, with edges so ripped, it seemed to have been folded and unfolded more times than was welcome. Ginny grasped it gently, unfolding it with care, and her eyes widened when she read the top of the parchment in big, black letters – _Contraception Spell_.

It wasn't so much that she was embarrassed that some girls in her dormitory were already sleeping with guys, that it was shock that her dorm mates were actually _sleeping with guys!_

She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the parchment, muttering a spell she'd learned from Bill, and a small, brown-haired, green-eyed face flitted out of the parchment. Ginny's jaw dropped and she flicked her wand again, several times, after which Vianne and Keely flowed out as well.

If she remembered correctly, and the spell worked, Courtney was the last one to hold the directions, and before her were Keely and Vianne. Ginny shook her head, adamant at their dirty minds, but found herself memorizing the directions nevertheless. It was uniquely simple spell, requiring only a flick of the wand and two short words, however complicated its repercussions.

Ginny folded the parchment once more, tossing it back into the drawer, and slowly crept out of the bathroom. The others were sleeping soundly and she was able to reach her bed and begin her homework without waking any one of them.

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	2. Blemishes

**All disclaimers and ratings from the first chapter apply for the rest of the story. I appreciate everybody's patience as I posted this up, as well as you guys' support and encouragement.**

**Hopefully, this is where you saw it going. Just a bit, anyway.**

The day crawled by slowly for Ginny, but on the upside was the lack of assignments for the following day. With her mind clear, Ginny began to wonder about the spell instructions she'd found earlier.

When had her friends managed to get around? She knew she should feel repelled, or at least disgusted, but all that managed to surface was curiosity. Whom were her dorm mates sleeping with? Were all of them doing it?

_Ugh, Ginny, grow up._ _ This is why you're the only one who's not had sex yet,_ she mused.

Dinner was a boring affair. She caught Malfoy glaring at her once, but refused to acknowledge him, busying herself with a discussion of classes with Hermione instead. The Head Girl had gotten nothing sorted out, if the way she was rattling on about her incredulity at McGonagall's gall was hint enough.

"I mean, I even talked to her after that god-forbidden _Travel_ last night, but she refused to answer me! She said that if we had any questions, we could approach the teacher whose class we had issues with – but it's _her class!_ I don't understand this!" she mumbled, adding, "It's like she doesn't want me to take eight classes."

Harry grinned at her, shrugging, "Maybe you should take a hint, Hermione."

Ron finished chewing a particularly large potato and nodded enthusiastically, watching Hermione sigh, with bored, beady eyes. Ginny shook her head, murmuring, "Bloody idiots," and stood. Swinging her book bag over her shoulder, she waved a goodbye and exited the Great Hall.

The corridors were cold and silent, but Ginny enjoyed the temporary tranquility, her mind already busy with assignments and exams. A brief glance around told her that she was alone, and she began the long trek to the library. The bookshelves seemed to be watching her as she strode to her assigned table, but the student barely spared them a glance, because Miles West was already seated at the table.

He looked up and smirked as she put her light reading onto the worn tabletop. She raised her eyebrows, sitting opposite of him, and waited for his comment.

"Mysteries? I didn't realize those interested you, Weasley."

Ginny shrugged, dropping her bag next to her chair, and said, "You don't know much of anything about me, I don't see the reason for your surprise."

He chuckled, "Girls usually like those happy-ending love stories."

"That's a stereotype, Miles. Why aren't you reading some murder story?"

"Murder story?"

"Detective novels, whatever you prefer to call them. All you Slytherins are the same, I hear," she waved her hand around dismissively.

He grinned, pointing to her book, "And all you Gryffindors only read books with pictures."

Ginny blushed, noticing that the page to which it was opened had a rather large depiction of a cracked mirror. Slamming the covers closed, she stuffed it, along with her bag, under her chair safely and turned to watch Miles as he extracted his homework and began writing.

Sighing, she gazed off into the distance for the next few minutes. She grew bored quickly, though, and her eyes slid over to Miles's face. He was concentrating on his work, eyes flickering back and forth across the parchment, and seemed oblivious to her stare. He appeared mature for his age, although his snappy remarks bothered her sometimes. Folding her arms over her chest, Ginny looked away once more when she heard faint footsteps approaching.

Malfoy pulled out a chair next to Miles and dropped himself into it lightly, gazing at her lazily. She met his eyes with a vicious glare, and smiled slightly when he looked away, eyes resting on Miles's assignment. "West, we have Quidditch practice tomorrow at eight."

His housemate looked up, nodding, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Looking back at the parchment, Miles cursed under his breath and looked at Ginny, "I'm all out of ink. Do you have a spare bottle?"

Ginny nodded, tossing one to him, and aiming a scowl at Malfoy when he drawled, "How sweet."

"Maybe if you weren't so annoying and pale and pointy, people would offer you ink bottles as well," she growled.

Malfoy's eyes twinkled when he turned look at her, and an odd feeling of having crossed the line washed over her. It was muffled, however, a minute later, when he said, "My pale and pointy appearance comes genetically, but it appears none of you Weasleys are _trying_ to rid yourselves of your ridiculous poverty."

No matter how old the insult was, and how many times he had used it, Ginny felt shame and irritation flow over her, engulfing her in a blush that spread over her cheeks in oceans of shades. She glared at him across the tabletop, arms crossed tightly over her chest, and said, "At least we have friends, Malfoy."

He smirked, "And they're all Muggle-lovers, Mudbloods, and Muggles – I don't believe that truly counts for much."

Shaking her head, Ginny spread out several parchments in front of her, and said, "I don't bully anyone, and am actually liked."

He and Miles snorted, watching her with mildly irritated amusement. Slightly embarrassed that they had considered her words so childish, she refused to meet either gaze. Glancing at her watch again, Ginny deducted that it would only be three more minutes before the rest of the school began to trickle into the library, and waited with bated breath until the moment came. She spotted Hermione walking in before the rest of her group arrived, and jumped at the chance to escape the two Slytherins' presence. Once she was standing next to Hermione, watching her lay out many different papers on the tabletop, she sighed, "Are you, at least, enjoying the company of your consortium?"

Hermione frowned, glancing back in Malfoy's direction, "Is he giving you a hard time? If so, you need to talk to McGonagall, I'm sure she'd switch you out – "

"Never mind that," Ginny shook her head, "I'm handling it for the moment. How did things go with your schedule?"

Hermione chuckled awkwardly and cleared her throat, "Er, it went better than you'd expect, actually. I spoke with Snape."

Ginny's jaw dropped and she waited for her friend to continue, nodding.

"He didn't really do anything drastic. He didn't insult me once and was actually rather patient; I think it's Dumbledore's reprimands getting to him. He only told me that it will even out next semester, because the classes will be reorganized or something complicated like that. In other words, 'stop pestering me, you little Mudblood.'"

Ginny laughed, "Well, at least he contained himself. So it's all clear now, and you'll stop worrying over it?"

"Yes."

"Good," Ginny nodded. Pointing to Hermione's desk, she asked, "What's all this?"

"Oh, nothing. I figure I know what McGonagall will assign us this time, so I'm just one step ahead of her."

"What do you figure?"

"Research our destination – once we've decided one, that is – and then come up with an inexpensive way to reach it. These are the seven places we suggested, and I just thought I'd print them out."

Ginny frowned, "What?"

"Muggle term. I'll show you sometime."

Ginny nodded slowly, and then lifted a thin, pointed, plastic object off the parchments, "What's this?"

Hermione smiled, grabbing it out of her hands, "It's called a pen, Ginny, a Muggle object used for writing. There's McGonagall, now."

Ginny walked back to her table, dreading the two hours of communication with Malfoy, but smiled when the others greeted her. Daniel occupied the seat right beside her, and striked a conversation as soon as she sat. Ginny humored him, enjoying his sweet behavior, and as they waited for McGonagall's instructions, she seemed to have spoken with everyone but Malfoy.

Soon, the familiarly stern voice rang through the library, "Quiet down, students. It appears that all of us are present here today, so we shall begin instantly. This evening, within your groups, you shall research your wanted destination. This should be simple, given that you are in a library, and by the time you leave for bed, I expect every student to have handed in a fully planned-out voyage. From the seven students in your group, I expect to find only one destination on which you should all be agreed. You may begin discussions. Please keep your volumes down at a low level."

As soon as she finished the sentence, murmuring began throughout the room, and Ginny sighed, reeling herself for the less-than-awaited discussion.

Miles spoke first, dark green eyes scrutinizing her, "So who's doing what, then?"

Ginny cleared her throat, "I'll go find some books. Why don't the rest of you discuss our destination. See if you can agree on something."

Escaping hurriedly, Ginny rushed to a secluded bookshelf and began perusing the titles. Once she'd gathered several tomes in her hands, Ginny headed back. Dropping them onto the round table, she sat and began to search for the six locations her table had suggested.

Daniel and Lucas began to cut out landscapes that they could visit, and Malfoy and Miles talked quietly about something she could not discern. As she finished copying down information, Ginny did something that, she realized later, may have been very, very stupid.

Forgetting the two boys beside her, Ginny jumped to grab another book, running straight into Lucas's lifted scissors. They pierced her right below the navel, and an excruciating pain spread through her torso. Hot, sticky liquid began to flow over her skin, and she gasped as Lucas frantically pulled them out of her.

The boys jumped up, scrambling to lift her up, and a few neighboring groups began to shout excitedly. Carl's arms wrapped around her shoulders as Ginny doubled over, pushing a hand against her wound unconsciously. Within moments, she was sitting in a chair lifelessly, watching red stains seep out into her robes slowly.

McGonagall was pushing her way through the crowds around them, as Lucas apologized repeatedly and Carl shook her gently, "Stay with us, Ginny!"

Professor McGonagall shrieked, "Out of my way!" before lifting her wand and pointing it rather weakly in Ginny's direction. It swept past her and hit someone full-force. A low growl indicated Malfoy's displeasure, and Ginny turned slightly, curious despite the pain.

Miles was slumped over him, unconscious, but that was not what caught Ginny's eyes. It was Malfoy's vicious, hateful glare that was aimed at her that froze her. McGonagall was now next to Ginny, applying numerous spells to stop blood flow and ease the pain, and Ginny tuned in to her surroundings once more, ignoring Malfoy completely.

Slowly, she began to feel the pain easing and sighed, disregarding everyone's worried comments. As she stood up to walk herself to the Hospital Wing, McGonagall announced, "Mr. Malfoy, please escort Miss Weasley and Mister West to Madam Pomfrey for further medical aid."

Malfoy drawled, "Can't they walk there themselves?"

McGonagall's eyes widened, and she answered sternly, "As Head Boy, you will follow the orders you are given, Mr. Malfoy. Walk, before I deduct points."

He grunted in reply and stood, pushing Miles back into his chair none too gently. The younger boy's head fell back at an odd angle and his arms hung loosely by his sides. Ginny lowered her eyes, standing slowly, and watched with lowered eyelashes as Malfoy pointed his wand, "Wingardium Leviosa."

The brown-haired Slytherin's body rose slowly until it began to float beside Malfoy as he stormed out of the library. Ginny limped out slowly after him, tears streaming down her face from the pain. As soon as the cool air of the corridor outside hit her, Ginny's knees buckled, and her back hit the doors heavily. Despite the sting it sent through her torso, Ginny sighed unevenly, grateful to have everyone's gaze off her.

When she had slowly slid down to sit on the cold stone floor, Ginny felt her eyes close and a darkness envelop her. Her hand was rapidly drying of the blood that covered it, but a stickiness appeared, making her grimace disgustedly as she fell faster toward unconsciousness.

It was not to be, however, because within moments, Malfoy was back, sneering, "Are you too weak to make it from here to the Hospital Wing, Weasley?"

Ginny ignored him, trying to regain the darkness she had been so close to reaching. She had no energy to fight him, nor any to walk. She was pleasantly surprised when she heard a hissed spell and felt herself float up quietly, robes hanging down over her short bones.

The float to the Wing was a short one, but as soon as Malfoy entered, he dropped her roughly onto a bed, knocking all the wind out of her and sending another shock of pain through her body. Ginny's eyes opened and she glared at him, "What the bloody hell is your problem, you git?"

Malfoy ignored her and dropped Miles across the aisle from her. Madam Pomfrey bustled out, summoning potions and bedpans as she went. Ginny watched weakly, feeling the blood from her stomach drip down onto the sheets.

Malfoy leaned against the wall, watching lazily as Madam Pomfrey began to heal Ginny. After she'd had the calming drought, Ginny gradually got woozy, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke, the lights were brighter around her, and she figured it was no longer candlelight. She sat up slightly, eyes half-closed and slightly swollen from the loss of blood she must have undergone. She remembered everything well, but could not figure out why she was still there.

Madam Pomfrey seemed to have realized when she awoke immediately and strode to her bed, "Miss Weasley, I see you're feeling well now, but I'd advise you stay in bed for the next couple of days. Your organs underwent quite a bit of damage last night, and you may have several complications later on, but that will be discussed at a later time. For now, you need to rest, eat well, and gather your energy. If you may have noticed, the blood loss left you slightly weakened, and you need to regain your strength as quickly as possible, because your immune system is at risk of being unable to tackle bacteria. If you manage to catch a virus and get sick, it is possible that you will need to be held here for a week, at the least, which I am sure you're not too eager to do."

Ginny watched the mediwitch, wide-eyed, until the woman nodded, pointing to a tray of food to the side of the bed, "Go on, then."

Nodding slightly, Ginny reached for her breakfast, pulling it onto her lap and digging in.

Half an hour later, Hermione, Ron, and Harry visited her, graciously refraining from asking her how the bloody hell she'd managed to get stuck by a pair of scissors – something the school nurse had neglected to do.

"You're the talk of the school now," Ron grinned, pointing to the doors absently, "Everyone is eager to see how gory you look. You should hear them-"

Hermione broke him off angrily, "Ron, that is so insensitive! Just because you're male and like to watch people get hurt and damage their bodies, you think you can just encourage all the rumors and gossip?"

Ron's jaw dropped slightly, "But I didn't even –"

Hermione raised her chin snootily, "Shut your mouth. You're her _brother_, you unfeeling prat!"

It continued this way for the next forty minutes, until Harry announced that they had classes to get to, pulling them out of the wing considerately. Once they left, Ginny closed her eyes and lay back, watching the clouds in the distance as they flew by the window.

A large stack of parchments and assignments that she'd been given lay forgotten on the bedside table, and she sighed, prodding the bandage she found wrapped around her pelvis. She wondered just what kinds of complications Madam Pomfrey had meant - would they affect her eating and walking habits?

A short while later, Vianne and Keely appeared, fresh-faced from having just eaten lunch, chattering nonstop. They were not bearing good news.

"Ginny, you've got to hear what they're saying. Apparently Daphne Greengrass has been telling people that you set up this whole ploy to get attention, because, she says, any attention is good attention for a Weasley, and this was the perfect way to get it."

Ginny let out a hiss of breath as she watched them, dreading the coming days more than the stack of papers beside her.

Vianne spoke next, "The gossip's gone wild, really, what with the hundreds of kids we have here, and I've heard just about everything from your being pregnant and trying to get rid of the baby to Lucas's evil plans to get in You-Know-Who's highest ranks."

"Well, that puts a damper on my day," Ginny muttered morosely.

Vianne and Keely shrugged, "We're sorry, but we figured you should know." Ginny nodded, thanking them for their efforts, and waited with anticipation that they would leave. Once she had the wing to herself, she closed her eyes and drifted off, enjoying the bright sunlight illuminating her hair and warming her pale skin.

Three hours later, and just in time for dinner, Madam Pomfrey released her with a warning to stay back from vigorous exercise and to get enough sleep. Although Ginny was curious to know what complications her wound had inflicted, she figured she was better off not knowing until the mediwitch revealed them herself.

When she walked through the door of the Great Hall, a hush fell over the students. They were so obviously searching her for evidence of blood and pain that she felt she'd be sick right then and there. Luckily, Ginny made it to her table, sitting between Hermione and Audrey awkwardly, adjusting her bandage as she did so.

Many Gryffindors made a show of asking her how she was feeling, but it ended at that, for which Ginny was grateful. Although she was sure that most people would appreciate the attention of the entire school, she felt nude and ridiculed at people's pity. If it had been merely sympathy for her incident, she may not have been nearly as uncomfortable as she was with their over-dramatized attempts to weasel out gossip topics.

She watched meekly as Hermione piled food onto her plate, all the while going on about the following _Travel_ lesson and what she'd managed to get done in preparation for it. The older girl had never been one studious about social tact, and Ginny saw the fact full force as Hermione began to involve ten students around her in the one-sided conversation she was having with Ginny.

It was a wrong move to make for Ginny to stand before Hermione finished speaking, because the brunette followed her out, never noticing Ginny weary expression and tilted walk. Ginny's stomach remained painfully aching through her walk to the library.

Once inside, Hermione's chatter stopped as she led them through the bookshelves, and then began again once they reached Ginny's table.

"Are you all right?"

Ginny looked up, noticing the older girl's concerned gaze, "I'm fine, yeah. Listen, I need to finish some things up right now, so I'll talk to you later, all right?"

Hermione nodded grimly and left for her own seat. Pulling out a stack of parchments filled with scribbles and essays, Ginny began to catch up on her schoolwork. When it reached ten minutes to seven, the first of the students began to appear, and, unfortunately for Ginny, the first of her group to arrive was Malfoy – with Pansy Parkinson practically sewn to his arm.

When he sat, the raven-haired girl sat, too. Immediately, they began speaking in low murmurs, irritating the hell out of a concentrating Ginny. Her Potions essay was almost finished, and the two students' voices carried loudly enough to distract her from what she's planned on concluding with.

As she glanced up the couple, Parkinson let out a particularly loud giggle, startling Ginny to the point of jumping slightly. Her surprise did not go by unmissed by Malfoy, who smirked at her, causing Pansy to turn as well.

There was a moment of silence as the two girls' eyes met. Pansy's were a bright yellow-brown, sparkling unnaturally in the dim library light. Her expression was that of a paying customer looking at a bowl of soup with lint in it. Ginny's was slightly amused, because it was only when Pansy had turned that she spotted the Slytherins' arrangement in their seats.

Malfoy sat relaxed against the back of his chair, one arm on the back of hers and the other on his stomach. Pansy sat on a bended knee, leaning over him with one hand on his far shoulder, her stance demonstrating a bit of reverence. She was leaning forward; he was leaning back. His face did not show very much what he thought of Pansy's forwardness, and Ginny was never good at reading people anyway, but the tense look of his shoulders and the tight skin of his wrist displayed his discomfort.

When she had pulled back to glance at Ginny, Pansy had removed her hand from his shoulder, and put it on her waist fashionably, issuing a hard glower at the girl behind her.

Then, with a look of contemptuous dismissal, she fluttered her eyelashes and turned back to Malfoy. Once again, she was immersed in his face, speaking in hushed tones to him about something direly important.

Ginny glared at the girl for a moment before sighing and looking back down at her papers. She tried to tune out the feeling of awkwardness as she focused on her Potions homework, but it seemed impossible. She'd never had real trouble with Slytherins before; surely they were especially brutal on the Quidditch field, and they made disgusted faces at her in between classes, but Ginny had never had to defend against them socially. Truth be told, she was a complete pacifist, and she'd probably never had a real spat with anyone in her life.

The idea of a full-on quarrel slightly scared her and slightly fascinated her. Being unable to defend herself was probably what would kill her in an argument – yet she had no true enemies, and was curious what to have one would be like. She was suddenly overcome with the desire to lash out at Parkinson right then and there, but waited for a cue as patiently as she could.

She was not disappointed. A few minutes later, once their conversation had quieted, Pansy turned around in her seat, sitting properly, and spat, "Weasley, you're infringing on a private conversation. I'm sure you can find a seat elsewhere."

Ginny, her eyes growing wide with incredulity, looked up the brunette, studying her for a moment. Parkinson had short, straight hair, which gave her an air of 'cute' more than it did of 'beautiful', but she dressed impeccably. Perfectly tailored black robes were taken in at just the right places, and her white blouse always shined brightly out of her collar. She wore elegant heeled shoes, although the extra height, unlike for Ginny, was not needed.

Even before this unfortunate run-in, Ginny had noticed the older girl's infallible appearance, and was secretly a bit enthralled with it.

She herself never wore sickly-looking clothes, but she never felt as confident and aware of herself as she figured Parkinson did. No matter their personalities, Slytherins could teach everyone something. Sighing softly and pushing a thin strand of hair behind her ear, Ginny shook her head, looking just the right amount of not apologetic and said, "Unfortunately, no. See, I was assigned this table by a professor for a particular reason. Just because it has struck your fancy to come here and slobber all over Malfoy, whose change in seating I wouldn't object to, I do not have to convenience the two of you. If you will please leave and take him with you, perhaps you'll be a bit more comfortable in a more secluded area."

Watching with excited curiosity, Ginny shrunk slightly back as Parkinson rose to her full height. Aiming a dark scowl at Ginny, she had blushed a delicate blush that spread only over her defined cheekbones in minute patches, when Ginny mentioned her attentive behavior around Malfoy. She was clearly unhappy.

As a result, she approached Ginny's chair, glaring down her nose at her from above, and gritted out, "Frankly, I agree with those who say that Weasleys have no class. If you knew what was good for you, you wouldn't speak to me that way, because I can promise that you'll get what's coming to you, you stupid, cheap, Muggle-lover!"

With a snap of her head, she stomped away (after repeatedly assuring Malfoy that they'd speak later in the common room.) The silence following this encounter lasted no longer than the mere seconds in which Ginny caught Malfoy's eyes. He watched her with a lazy wariness, head tilted back, and she had a triumphant smile on her face. His eyes traveled over her features indifferently before looking casually in the direction that his housemate had left. And then came the noise of students filling in.

Ginny's breath had constricted briefly in the moment or two that they'd made contact. The look on his face when he'd looked straight at her had been decidedly less than friendly, but Ginny had for the first time noticed the small scar just above the corner of his lips. It was barely visible, fading into his pale demeanor as easily as a needle into a haystack, but at that particular moment, the light had reflected off the smoother, newer skin.

The gash itself was diagonal, no longer than the nail on her thumb, but it was curiously unusual. As the lesson for the night began, she was overcome with an uncontrollable interest in just how he'd gotten about to getting it.

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